Thermal deck

ABSTRACT

A decking assembly is mounted to a building roof or wall to thermally insulate the buildingt. The decking assembly has a first panel with an outside surface and a foil covered inside surface and a second panel having an outside surface and a foil covered inside surface. The foil covered inside surface of the second panel faces the foil covered inside surface of the first panel. At least one spacer is positioned between the panel so as to create an air space defined by the foil covered inside surfaces. The air space has an open inlet and outlet to create a continuous conduit for the flow of air from an entrance side to an exhaust side. The air space can be divided into two separate compartments by a barrier panel that has foil on opposite sides.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates generally to insulating a house and particularly to insulating a house using decking and still more particularly to insulating the roof of a house using insulated decking.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] The roof system of a conventional residential building includes uniformly spaced joists spanning the length between pairs of parallel support beams, the joists forming the ceiling. Wallboard and 2×6 boards may be placed on top of the uniformly spaced joists. Metal or wood trusses are then erected above the joists to form the framing for the roof. Exterior plywood sheathing is applied on top of the trusses and an exterior covering, such as a roofing felt and either asphalt, metal roofing or wood shingles, is then secured to the exterior surface of the sheathing. Often, soffits, or ventilated panels are installed to allow air to circulate freely, helping prevent problems with excessive heat or moisture inside the eaves and attic. However, such ceiling and roof systems can have less than desirable insulation properties and thus additional insulation is often used.

[0005] The roof structure of most conventional industrial buildings typically include rafters, purlins mounted on the rafters, and sheets of hard metal roofing material mounted over the purlins. Blankets of insulation material are typically rolled out over the purlins and sandwiched between the purlins and the sheets of hard metal roofing material. Examples of such insulated roof structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,559,914, 4,047,345 and 4,147,003.

[0006] It has been proposed to combine sheets of radiant barrier materials, such as metal foils, between the blankets of insulation and the roofing material for retarding heat transfer through roof structures. To provide an effective barrier against heat transfer, an air space or cavity in which the radiant barrier is positioned also is needed to enable the foil to reflect heat and retard its passage through the roof. If the upper blanket of insulation or other material is in direct contact with the foil, the foil will tend to conduct heat through the roof and into the building instead of reflecting or conducting the heat back to the heat source.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 2,015,817 to Schmidt and U.S. Pat. No. 2,116,270 to Le Grand disclose heat reflective metal surfaces in conjunction with air spaces adjacent the same for minimizing the transfer of heat through the wall surface by radiation. The problem with such a design is that heat is conducted through the first wood layer to the foil barrier. Foil is a good conductor but a poor radiator. As the foil barrier is heated, very little of the heat is given off in the form of radiation into the air space. Most of the heat is given off in the form of conduction by convection currents inside the air space and is allowed to heat the air inside the dead air space. Once the air space is heated, it is difficult to cool down and heat is conducted through the second wood layer and into the building. If a foil barrier is also on the second wood layer, then some of the heat in the air space may be reflected back into the air space in the form of radiation while the rest heats the second foil through conduction with the convection currents. This conducted heat is further given off in the form of conduction through the plywood and is allowed to heat the inside of the building.

[0008] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a radiant barrier material having improved insulation and heat transfer properties for a residential or industrial building.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a radiant barrier material having improved insulation and heat transfer characteristics for a residential or industrial building.

[0010] It is another object of the present invention to provide a radiant barrier system that eliminates static air space which, once heated, would tend to conduct heat through a second wood layer and into the building.

[0011] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a radiant barrier material that is more efficient and economical to use.

[0012] The insulating assembly of this invention has a pair of spaced apart panels separated by spacers to create an air space. A pair of layers of heat radiant foil are spaced apart from each other and located in the air space. The assembly has an inlet and outlet to cause air flow through through the air space.

[0013] In the first embodiment the first panel has an outside surface and a foil covered inside surface and the second panel has an outside surface and a foil covered inside surface. The foil covered inside surfaces face each other and define boundaries of the air space. After installation of the thermal decking, a rotary air moving mechanism may be mounted to the building for drawing air from the inlet to the outlet.

[0014] In a second embodiment, a radiant barrier is positioned between the two panels. Foil is mounted to opposite sides of the barrier. The barrier divides the air space into primary and secondary air spaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of the thermal decking of the present invention, taken along the line 1-1 of FIG. 1.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of the thermal decking of the present invention, taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 2.

[0018]FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of the thermal decking of FIG. 1 installed on a residential roof using a turbine.

[0019]FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view of the thermal decking of FIG. 2 installed on a residential roof and wall system using a ridge vent.

[0020]FIG. 5 is a perspective partially sectioned view of the thermal decking of FIG. 1 installed on a roof.

[0021]FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a building roof having the thermal decking of either FIG. 1 or FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0022] Referring to FIG. 1, thermal decking 100 comprises a first panel 102 having an outside surface 104 and an inside surface 106 covered with a sheet or layer of foil 105. Foil 105 can be any material that will sufficiently radiate heat but is preferably made of metal and more preferably made of aluminum. Foil 105 will generally be a poor radiator of heat but a good conductor of heat. For example, the emissivity value of aluminum foil is roughly 3% meaning that only 3% of the heat absorbed is given off in the form of radiant heat. On the other hand, 97% is given off by conduction through other materials in contact with the foil or by convection currents. Foil 105 is attached to the inside surface 106 of the first panel 102. By covering the wood with foil 105, the radiation of heat from the wood is greatly reduced and only a small percentage of heat conducted through the wood and onto foil 105 is allowed to radiate into an air space.

[0023] All of the decking or panels disclosed herein can be made of any material but is preferably made of wood and most preferable plywood. Wood, especially plywood is used because the building industry is familiar with using wood and plywood is a relatively rigid insulating material that is commonly used as decking on a roof. Also, it is relatively inexpensive, and because most conventional decking is made of plywood, the present invention could easily be installed on existing as well as new residential and commercial buildings. The first panel 102 can vary in thickness but is preferably about ½″ thick 4′ wide and 8′ long. A second panel 108 has an outside surface 110 and an inside surface 112 also covered with foil 105. Inside surface 112 faces the foil covered inside surface 106 of the first panel 102. The second panel 108 can also vary in thickness but is preferably about ¼″ thick 4′ wide and 8′ long or alternatively is about ½″ thick 4′ wide and 8′ long. At least one spacer 114 is positioned between the first panel 102 and the second panel 108. Spacer 114 can be any size and made of any relatively rigid insulating material but is preferably made of wood. Spacer 114 illustrated in FIG. 1 is preferably about 1″ thick, 2″ wide, and can be any length so long as the spacer 114 creates a continuous chamber or air space 116. The air space 116 can be any thickness that would allow air to flow from an inlet 210 (FIG. 3) of the thermal decking 100 to an outlet 212 of the thermal decking 100.

[0024] If more than one spacer 114 is used then the spacers 114 can be evenly spaced across the first panel 102 and second panel 108. The spacers 114 may be spaced apart about 16 inches to line up with the ceiling joists, or spacers 114 may be spaced apart about 24 inches to line up with the rafters of the roof. Almost any desired number of multiple spacers 114 can be used and the spacing between each does not have to be equal or in any particular type of pattern.

[0025] Air space 116 may be in the range of about 0.05 inch to about 1 inch from the foil covered inside surface 106 of the first panel 102 to the foil covered inside surface 112 of the second panel 108 and is preferably approximately ¾ inch. Air space 116 is a continuous conduit for the flow of air from inlet 210 to outlet 212 of the thermal decking 100. Air space 116 must be open or vented at opposite ends to allow an air current to flow through air space 116 parallel to the lengths of spacers 114. The thickness of approximately ¾″ has been determined to be optimal to avoid eddies and static air spaces.

[0026] As seen in FIG. 1, thermal decking 100 has a single air space 116 between each two spacers 114. When the thermal decking 100 is installed such that the first panel 102 is next to a heat source, the heat from the heat source is conducted through the outside surface 104 of the first panel 102 to the foil covered inside surface 106 of the first panel 102. Foil 105 prevents most of the heat from being radiated into the air space 116. However, some of the heat is given off into the air space 116 in the form of conduction by contact with convection currents. To dissipate the heat in the convection currents to the outside surface a rotary air handling device such as turbine 206 (FIG. 3) may be installed to create the movement of air from inlet 210 to the outlet 212. This eliminates most heat in the convection currents from being conducted to the second panel 108 and then into the building. The foil covered inside surface 112 of the second panel 108 reflects any radiant heat back into the air space 116 and prevents the heat from being radiated to the second panel 108 and then into the building.

[0027] In a second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a thermal decking 132 comprises a first panel 134 having an outside surface 136 and an inside surface 128. First panel 134 can be any desired thickness but is preferably about ½″ thick 4′ wide and 8′ long. A second panel 138 has an outside surface 140 and an inside surface 130 that faces the inside surface 128 of the first panel 134. Inside surfaces 128 and 130 optionally may be covered with foil 105. The second panel 138 can also be of any desired thickness but is preferably about ¼″ thick 4′ wide and 8′ long or alternatively is about ½″ thick 4′ wide and 8′ long. Positioned between the first panel 134 and the second panel 138 is a radiant barrier 122. The radiant barrier 122 is a panel with a top side 124 and a bottom side 126 such that the top side 124 faces the inside surface 128 of the first panel 134 and the bottom side 126 faces the inside surface 130 of the second panel 138. Top side 124 and bottom side 126 are covered with foil 105. The radiant barrier 122 may have an insulation material 150 sandwiched in between the top side 124 and the bottom side 126. The insulation material 150 may be paper material or some other thin material with insulating properties. The insulation material 150 may also improve the handling and instillation of the radiant barrier 122.

[0028] At least one upper spacer 142 is positioned between the inside surface 128 of the first panel 134 and the top side 124 of the radiant barrier 122. The upper spacer 142 can be any size and is preferably about 1″ thick, 2″ wide, and can be any length so long as a primary chamber or air space 144 is created. The thickness of the air space 144 can be any thickness that would allow air to flow from the entrance side 302 (FIG. 4) of the thermal decking 132 to the exhaust side 304 of the thermal decking 132. If more than one upper spacer 142 is used, then the spacers 142 are spaced evenly across the first panel 134 and the radiant barrier 122. The upper spacers 142 may be spaced apart about 16 inches to line up with the ceiling joists or spacers 142 may be spaced apart about 24 inches to line up with the rafters. Almost any number of multiple upper spacers 142 can be used and the spacing between each of them does not have to be equal or in any type of pattern. The primary air space 144 maybe in the range of about 0.05 inch to about 1 inch and is preferably approximately ¾ inch from the inside surface 128 of the first panel 134 to the top side 124 of the radiant barrier 122. Approximately ¾″ has been determined to be the optimal air space to avoid eddies and static air spaces. Decking 132 has open opposite ends for air flow in air spaces 144 parallel to spacers 142. The primary air space 144 is a continuous conduit for the flow of air from an inlet 302 (FIG. 3) of the thermal decking 132 to an outlet 304 of the thermal decking 132.

[0029] At least one lower spacer 146 is positioned between the inside surface 130 of the second panel 138 and the bottom side 126 of the radiant barrier 122. Preferably, the lower spacer 146 is directly below the upper spacer 142 however the spacers 142 and 146 may be in an alternating pattern or may be in a completely random pattern. The lower spacer 146 can be any size but is preferably about 1″ thick, 2″ wide, and can be any length so long as a secondary chamber or air space 148 is created. The thickness of the secondary air space 148 can be any thickness that would allow air to flow from inlet 302 of the thermal decking 132 to the outlet 304 of the thermal decking 132. The secondary air space 148 may be in the range of about 0.05 inch to about 1 inch and is preferably approximately ¾ inch from the inside surface 130 of the second panel 138 to the bottom side 126 of the radiant barrier 122. The opposite ends of secondary air space 148 are also open for air flow in air space 148. The secondary air space 148 is a continuous conduit for the flow of air from inlet 302 (FIG. 4) to outlet 304 and runs parallel with the primary air space 144.

[0030] When thermal decking 132 is installed such that the first panel 134 is next to a heat source, the two air spaces 144 and 148 can greatly reduce heat from reaching the second panel 138 and being transferred into the building. Heat from the heat source is conducted through the first panel 134 and either radiated off foil 105 of the inside surface 128 of the first panel 134 and into air space 144 or conducted due to convection currents in the primary air space 144, where the heat is then dissipated due to the movement of air from the entrance side 302 to the exhaust side 304. The convection currents in air space 144 can conduct a small amount of the heat to the top side 124 of radiant barrier 122. Foil 105 on top side 124 may reflect the heat back into air space 144. Also, some of the heat from the top side 124 of radiant barrier 122 may conducted to the bottom side 126 of radiant barrier 122, where it may be conducted to convection currents in the secondary air space 148. Foil 105 on inside surface 130 reflects heat back into air space 148. The heat within air space 148 is then dissipated due to the movement of air from the entrance side 302 (FIG. 4) to the exhaust side 304 of thermal decking 132. Decking 132 greatly reduces heat from reaching the second panel 138 and being radiated into the building.

[0031] Thermal decking 100 or 132 may be installed on conventional supporting structure such as roof rafters 208 (FIG. 3) in place of the standard decking commonly used. Decking 100 is installed so inlet 210 of the decking 100 is in communication with a soffit area 202 of a standard roof to allow for intake of air from the soffit area 202, through inlet 210 and into the air space 116. Soffit area 202 is the conventional structure that encloses the edge portions of the roof. Soffit area 202 has an opening 203 through incoming air passes to inlet 210. Outlet 212 is an elongated opening preferably located at the peak of the roof. Outlet 212 is preferably a passageway extending along the peak of the roof, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Outlet 212 is in communication with the upper end of each air space 116 and vents to atmosphere. Outlet 212 may be open along its length to atmosphere, in which case, the air may is moved solely by convection without any additional system to facilitate the movement of the air. Alternately, if desired, a rotary air moving device such as a wind driven or solar powered turbine 206, electrically powered ridge vent 318 (FIG. 4), or similar system for moving air may be installed at the peak of the roof in communication with outlet 212 of thermal decking 100. The turbine 206 draws air from the outlet 212 of the thermal decking 100 and releases it into the surroundings. As the turbine 206 draws the air from outlet 212, a negative pressure in created in outlet 212 and air is drawn through the air space 116 towards outlet 212. This creates a continuous air flow from the soffit area 202, through inlet 210, into the air space 116, and out outlet 212.

[0032] At roof edge, the second panel 108 may be cut at least 0.5 inch shorter than the first panel 102, leaving a portion of the first panel 102 extending past the second panel 108 to create inlet 210 for drawing air through the air space 116. Inlet 210 thus has a width the same distance the distance between two of the spacers 114. The ceiling structure 211 of the building may be conventional and preferably has conventional insulation located on it.

[0033]FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate thermal decking 100 installed at a hip joint of a roof. A central enclosed passageway 213 extends upward along the ridge of the hip joint to exhaust passageway 212 located on the peak of the roof. Passageway 212 leads to an outlet, which may have a turbine 206.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 4, thermal decking 132 could also be installed on conventional roof rafters in much the same manner as the thermal decking 100. If the thermal decking 132 is installed, then the second panel 138 and the radiant barrier 122 on the inlet side 302 may be cut at least 0.5 inch shorter than upper decking 136, leaving a portion of the first panel 134 extending past the second panel 138 and the radiant barrier 122 to create inlet 301. As in the first embodiment, inlet 302 is located in a soffit area 301 that has an opening 303 for air to flow in to inlet 302. A ridge vent 304 may be installed at outlet 304 on the ridge or peak of the roof to enhance air flow.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, thermal decking 100, or 132, could also be installed on the wall studs in place of the standard sheathing on side walls. The thermal decking 132 would be orientated such that an inlet 316 is near the base or foundation of the house while the outlet 318 is near the soffit area 202 of the house. Inlets 316 are in communication with air spaces 144, 148 of the thermal decking 100 to create a natural draw to an outlet 318 and into soffit 301. In soffit 301, the flow of air may continue from into inlet 302 of the thermal decking 132 on the roof to outlet 304 at the peak of the roof. A conventional brick veneer 213, such as shown in FIG. 3, may be installed on the exterior of the wall thermal decking 132 or 100.

[0036] An invention has been provided with several advantages. The thermal decking of the present invention is simple in design and economical to manufacture. It has improved insulation and heat transfer characteristics for residential or industrial buildings. The thermal decking does not have a dead air space wherein once the air space is heated, the heat is conducted into the building. Also, the present invention is more efficient and economical to use.

[0037] Although the device of the invention herein described is intended primarily for use as decking on a roof, it should be recognized that the thermal decking can be used on any surface that needs superior insulating properties. While the foregoing description basically describes the preferred embodiment of an inventive device, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications embodied in various forms may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A thermal decking comprising: a first panel; a second panel; a plurality of spacers positioned between the first and second panels so as to create an air space between the first and second panels; a pair of spaced-apart heat radiant layers of foil, each of the layers of foil having an exposed side located within the air space; and an inlet to the air space at one end of the first and second panels and an outlet at an opposite end of the first and second panels to cause a flow of air from the inlet to the outlet.
 2. The thermal decking of claim 1, wherein the spacers are parallel to each other, each having one end at the inlet and an opposite end at the outlet.
 3. The thermal decking of claim 1, wherein the layers of foil are mounted to the first and second panels, with their exposed sides facing each other and the air space being located between the layers of foil.
 4. The thermal decking of claim 1, wherein the first and second panels are of plywood, the layers of foil being mounted to inside surfaces of the first and second panels, with their exposed sides facing each other and the air space being located between the layers of foil.
 5. The thermal decking of claim 1, further comprising a barrier panel located between and parallel to the first and second panels, dividing the air space into a primary air space and a secondary air space; and wherein the layers of foil are mounted to opposite sides of the barrier panel.
 6. The thermal decking of claim 1, wherein the inlet and the outlet extend across a width of the panels.
 7. In a building roof having an inclined supporting structure, with a lower edge and a peak, a roof decking installed on the supporting structure, comprising: a first panel of plywood installed on the supporting structure and extending from the lower edge of the roof to the peak; a second panel of plywood spaced above the first panel and extending from the lower edge of the roof to the peak; a plurality of spacers positioned between the first and second panels so as to create an air space between the first and second panels, the spacers being parallel to each other and extending from the lower edge of the roof to the peak; a pair of spaced apart heat radiant layers of foil, one of the layers of foil having an exposed surface facing generally upward and the other of the layers of foil having an exposed face facing generally downward, the exposed faces being located within the air space; and an inlet to the air space at the lower edge of the roof and an outlet at the peak of the roof to cause a flow of air through the air space from the inlet to the outlet.
 8. The roof according to claim 7, further comprising a rotating air moving mechanism at the peak for enhancing the flow of air through the air space from the inlet to the outlet.
 9. The roof according to claim 7, wherein the layers of foil are mounted to the first and second panels, with their exposed sides facing each other and the air space being located between the layers of foil.
 10. The roof according to claim 7, further comprising a barrier panel located between and parallel with the first and second panels, dividing the air space into a primary air space and a secondary air space; and wherein the layers of foil are mounted to opposite sides of the barrier panel.
 11. A method for insulating a building, comprising: (a) providing an insulating assembly having a first panel, a second panel, a plurality of spacers positioned between the first and second panels so as to create an air space between the first and second panels, a pair of spaced-apart heat radiant layers of foil, each of the layers of foil having an exposed side located within the air space, an inlet to the air space at one end of the first and second panels and an outlet at an opposite end of the first and second panels; and (b) mounting the insulating assembly to the building and causing a flow of air through the air space from the inlet to the outlet.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises mounting the insulating assembly to a supporting structure of a roof.
 13. The method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises mounting the insulating assembly to an inclined supporting structure of a roof, with the inlet being located at a lower edge of the roof and the outlet being located at a peak of the roof.
 14. The method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) further comprises installing a rotary air moving mechanism to the building in communication with the outlet, and operating the rotary air moving mechanism to cause the air flow through the air space.
 15. The method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises mounting the insulating assembly to a supporting structure of a vertical wall of the building and positioning the inlet adjacent a foundation of the building.
 16. The method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises mounting the insulating assembly to an inclined supporting structure of a roof, with the inlet being located at a lower edge of the roof and the outlet being located at a peak of the roof; and installing a rotary air moving mechanism at the peak of the building in communication with the outlet, and operating the rotary air moving mechanism to cause the air flow through the air space. 